Defender Picks

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is scheduled to deliver this year’s keynote address at Louisiana State University’s 292nd Commencement Ceremony on May 12. In the official announcement on Tuesday, LSU President F. King Alexander said, “Gov. Edwards has a long history of service to Louisiana, and we look forward to hearing the message he delivers to our graduates as they embark on the next stage of their lives.”

LSU looks to have a strong squad ready for the 2016 season, but one of the most beloved Tigers has been diagnosed with a terminal disease. Mike the Tiger is battling a rare from of cancer according to school officials.

After last week’s LSU rainout, the Louisiana football faithful will be treated to two openers this weekend. The Tigers are one of the SEC’s biggest mysteries in 2015. Pundits have picked the Purple n’ Gold to finish everywhere from first to last. Tonight’s game is the conference’s first serious matchup of ranked teams. There will be lots to watch including Leonard Fournette, a pair of high school rivals, and of course, the Mad Hatter.

Last night, the Tiger faithful ended their pregame revelry and settled into their seats to watch LSU take the field against McNeese State. Some people even saw Mike and the Golden Band from Tigerland not to mention about five minutes of play, but the game was ultimately cancelled. NoDef has a breakdown for you explaining just what happened last night.

News that Louisiana State University (LSU) would file for financial exigency has caused a stir with many residents. It also caused a stir with LSU who says that the reports are not accurate. A pair of statements from the school this morning (4.24) clarifies that LSU has not begun the “process of filing for financial exigency,” but is continuing to “explore a wide range of contingency plans.”

Cemeteries are part of South Louisiana culture. So is Louisiana State University football. One grad student at LSU thinks that two staples are not that far removed from one another. Tim Landry introduced a bill into the Student Government Senate urging the creation of a tomb or mausoleum for the beloved mascot Mike the Tiger.

Today, millions of Americans watched as the Orion spacecraft was launched into the sky from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, but what most people didn’t know is that it carried a lot of Louisiana with it. Both the capsule and a piece of the payload can lay claim to roots on the bayou.

Seeing that budget cuts from John Lombardi's invisible hand were beginning to look inevitable, agitated (and agitating) University of New Orleans students apparently took matters into their own hands this morning by "seizing" Milneburg Hall -- a building at the school's Lakeview campus. To the minds of those of us who were raised on 60s Vietnam protest lore, the whole thing sounds more like a sit-in. So much for peaceniks. We received an e-mail about this. It's posted after the jump. For now, that's all we know. And, of course, this isn't the first such protest over the proposed $34 million budget cuts that will cost the college academic programs, jobs, and infrastructure.